When a woman needs a WIFE

Nonprofit helps women save their money and themselves

Ginita Wall (left) and Candace Bahr (right) are founders of WIFE.org, a nonprofit organization that offers free financial workshops and advice for women, particularly those who are widowed or divorced. — Isaac Arjonilla

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Ginita Wall (left) and Candace Bahr (right) are founders of WIFE.org, a nonprofit organization that offers free financial workshops and advice for women, particularly those who are widowed or divorced.
— Isaac Arjonilla

The event is called “Second Saturday,” but for many of the women attending this monthly divorce workshop at Mira Costa College, it is all about firsts. The first time they received comforting advice about a scary topic. The first time someone discussed finances in terms they could really understand. The first time they felt in control.

Most likely, “Second Saturday” is also their first encounter with WIFE.org, the San Diego-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting and enriching women’s financial lives. From the low-cost “Second Saturday” workshops to scholarships, free newsletters and online education guides, WIFE.org provides knowledge and support for women who are so busy juggling, they end up dropping the money ball.

“Women have taken on so many more responsibilities in their lives, but for so many of them, money is still a mysterious and confusing thing,” said

WIFE.org co-founder Candace Bahr, an estate adviser who has been married for more than 30 years. “But managing your money can be a really fun thing. Once you see the results, you get to the point where no one can stop you.”

Created by Bahr and forensic accountant Ginita Wall, ﻿WIFE.org is a lifesaver that was born out of disaster. After the 1987 stock-market crash, Wall was besieged by female clients alarmed by how little they knew about what was happening to their money. Meanwhile, Bahr — who was working as a broker for E.F. Hutton — was having a crisis of conscience. Her clients’ financial fates were in her hands, but the stock market was out of their control. And she didn’t like it.

Wall and Bahr, who met while doing volunteer money-education workshops at local high schools, decided to combat economic uncertainty with knowledge. They founded the Women’s Institute for Financial Education (aptly shortened to WIFE) in 1988.

In the beginning, there was a quarterly snail-mail newsletter and seminars about budgeting, buying a house, coping with widowhood and other money-management topics. In 1989, they launched “Second Saturday,” a monthly workshop devoted to women and divorce.

During the half-day workshop, which has always cost $45 and never required pre-admission, experts hand-picked and vetted by Wall and Bahr give advice on the legal process, family issues and how to avoid divorce court.

And in nearly every session for the last 23 years, Wall — who is amicably divorced from her college sweetheart — has talked about finances. After divorce, a woman’s standard of living usually declines, while a man’s usually increases. Wall and Bahr don’t want their clients to be on the losing end.

“Divorce is not about the law. It is about emotions and money,” Wall said during a joint interview in her home office in Carmel Valley, where one of her two cats lounged next to the laptops and the dog padded in and out.

“Divorce is the great equalizer. During ‘Second Saturday,’ we could have a woman who is living in her car sitting next to a woman who is married to the CEO of a major corporation. No matter who you are, you still need the same information.”

Proceeds from the workshops are divided among Mira Costa College’s scholarship fund for re-entry women, its adult community outreach program and WIFE.org’s website and programming. The experts volunteer their time, just as Wall and Bahr have always volunteered theirs. The workshops have served more than 8,000 women and raised more than $200,000. The next one is scheduled for Sept. 8 at the college’s San Elijo campus.

Over the years, the

WIFE.org information empire has expanded to include its award-winning financial-advice website, a divorce workshop for men and a workshop about parenting after divorce. There are online makeover programs for saving money and reducing debt. And there are free step-by-step guides to starting a maintaining a money club, where women can relax, socialize and work on everything from budgeting and investment strategies to retirement planning and saving for college.

The guides are user-friendly and practical. And like everything else from Bahr and Wall, they are as nonthreatening as an email from a very smart friend. After 25 years, that is all

“I wanted to be a missionary and a teacher when I was a kid, and it gives me a lot of satisfaction to give back,” Bahr said. “You do this for a while, and you get feedback from people who say, ‘This has made such a huge difference in my life.’ And then you want to do more.”